Shot shell



July 19, 1966 G. E. HENDRICKS 3,261,282

SHOT SHELL Filed July 51, 1964 INVENTOR. GROVER f. HENDRICKS ATTORNEYUnited States Patent 3,261,282 SHOT SHELL Grover E. Hendricks, 2241 LakeSt., Niles, Mich. Filed July 31, 1964, Ser. No. 386,633 6 Claims. (Cl.102-42) This invention relates to improvements in shot shells for use inshotguns, and more particularly to a shot shell having a plastic casing.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a novel shot shellhaving a plastic casing and a plastic molded wad defining spaced powderand shot compartments of novel shape, wherein the wad is snugly mountedwithin the shell casing and is removable to accommodate reloading of theshell casing.

A further object is to provide a novel shot shell wad having a cup shapewith a recessed end cooperating with a shell casing to define a powdercompartment.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal axial sectional view of a shell embodying myinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the novel shot shell wad with partsbroken away; and

FIG. 3 is an end view of the shot shell wad.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates a shot shell casingwhich is molded from plastic material as an integral one piece structurehaving a tubular part 12 and an end wall 14. The shell casing may beformed of various materials, such as polyethylene, polycarbonate,cellulose ester, nylon, or other materials Which may be injectionmolded. If desired, the material of which the shot shell casing 10 isformed may contain reinforcement, such as fiber glass. A circular flangeor bead 16 is formed at the closed end of the shell to position theshell properly Within the gun barrel.

The shell casing is characterized by a shallow central recess 18 at theouter face of the end wall 14 by a central passage 20 extending throughthe wall 14 and adapted to mount a conventional primer pin or cap 22with a snug or press fit. The primer pin 22 has an enlarged head orflange 24 within the recess 18 and preferably projects slightly from theinner end of the passage 20. The end wall 14 is preferably ofsubstantial thickness, being char- 1 acterized by a recessed innersurface 26 which preferably is frusto conical in contour. If desired,the inner surface 26 is interrupted by one or more deep narrow grooves28 arranged to extend around the central passage 20 and to definetherein an inner collet portion 30 surrounding the inner end of theprimer pin 22. Preferably one endless circular groove concentric withthe passage 20 is provided at 28 with a plurality of arcuate grooves 28may be utilized to outline the inner collet portion 30. This shellcasing is substantially of the construction illustrated in my co-pendingapplication, Ser. No. 370,244, filed May 26, 1964.

A performed cup-shaped wad member 31 is inserted in the shell casing 10.The wad member 31 is preferably injection molded and may be formed ofvarious materials, such as polyethylene, polycarbonate, cellulose esteror nylon. If desired the molded Wad member may contain reinforcement,such as fiber glass. The cup-shaped member 31 has a cylindrical wall 32having an elongated cylin- 3,261,282 Patented July 19, 1966 drical outersurface adapted for a snug sliding fit within the bore of the shellcasing 12, for which purpose it preferably will have a clearance of afew thousandths of an inch only within the bore of the shell casing. Theend wall 34 of the wad member is comparatively thick and confronts theend wall 14 of the shell casing. In the preformed form, the end wall ispreferably conical, having a conical outer recess 36 cooperating withthe inner recessed face of the end wall 14 to define a compartmentcontaining powder or propellant 38. The end wall provides a deep recesswhereby a conical portion 40 thereof projects into the cavity of thewad, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Cylindrical wall 32 is preferably ofthinner section than the conical end wall part 40 and is ofsubstantially uniform thickness.

Shot members 42 are inserted in the shell casing 12 Within thecylindrical wall 32 in an outer chamber or compartment defined by endwall 34 and conical end wall portion 40 and by inwardly crimped parts 44of the shell casing at its free end, as seen in FIG. 1.

In order to insure that the wad 31 is freely in-sertable in the shellcasing and removable therefrom, it is provided with a surface of Teflon.The Teflon may either constitute a thin coating or it may be surfaceimpregnated at the outer wall of the cylindrical part 32 of the Wad, asby rolling the wad or tumbling the wad in Teflon powder. By this meansfriction between the wad and the shell is reduced and at the same timethe powder or propellant is substantially sealed in the shell casing incontact with the inner end of the primer pin 22.

A shell using a wad of this character is particularly well suited forrepeated reloading and reuse. It possesses long life and resistance towear and makes possible reloading by removal of the wad, charging theshell with a measured amount of powder, whereupon the Wad is inserted inplace, the shell is filled with shot and crimped at 44.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be understood that changes in the construction may bemade within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A shot shell comprising a molded synthetic resin cup-shaped shellcasing having a tubular part and an end wall with a central aperturemounting a primer cap,

said end wall having a recessed inner surface surrounded by an annularshoulder,

a molded synthetic resin cup-shaped wad snugly slidable in said shellcasing and having a tubular part and an end wall,

said wad end wall having an annular portion complementary to and adaptedto .abut said end wall shoulder and surrounding a recess at its outerface adapted to confront and cooperate with said recessed shell casingend wall to define powder compartment,

a charge of powder confined in said powder compartment,

a concentric projection on the inner face of said wad end wall spacedfrom encircled by and of shorter length than said tubular wad part andincluding a conical free end portion,

said tubular shell casing part being crimped inwardly at its free end todefine a shot retaining chamber, and

shot in said cup-shaped wad and tubular shell casing surrounding saidWad inner projection and confined by said inwardly crimped shell casingpart.

2. A shot shell as defined in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of thetubular part of said wad is at least partially formed of Teflon.

3. A shot shell as defined in claim 1, wherein the inner face of saidshell casing end wall is recessed,

said recessed end walls of said shell casing and wad being at leastpartly conical.

4. A wad as defined in claim 1, wherein said tubular part of said wad isthinner than said end Wall.

5. A wad as defined in claim 1, wherein said end wall recess of said wadis substantially conical.

6. A shot shell as defined in claim 1, wherein said shell casing endwall inner surface is interrupted by at least one deep narrow grooveextending around at least part of said central aperture to define acollet portion at least partly surrounding said primer pin.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS2/ 1957 France. 2/ 1961 France. 4/1961 France. 7/1961 France.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

R. F. STAHL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SHOT SHELL COMPRISING A MOLDED SYNTHETIC RESIN CUP-SHAPED SHELLCASING HAVING A TUBULAR PART AND AN END WALL WITH A CENTRAL APERTUREMOUNTING A PRIMER CAP, SAID END WALL HAVING A RECESSED INNER SURFACESURROUNDED BY AN ANNULAR SHOULDER, A MOLDED SYNTHETIC RESIN CUP-SHAPEDWAD SNUGLY SLIDABLE IN SAID SHELL CASING AND HAVING A TUBULAR PART ANDAN END WALL, SAID WAD END WALL HAVING AN ANNULAR PORTION COMPLEMENTARYTO AND ADAPTED TO ABUT SAID END WALL SHOULDER AND SURROUNDING A RECESSAT ITS OUTER FACE ADAPTED TO CONFRONT AND COOPERATE WITH SAID RECESSEDSHELL CASING END WALL TO DEFINE POWDER COMPARTMENT, A CHARGE OF POWDERCONFINED IN SAID POWDER COMPARTMENT,